Briefly

NIGER

Detained president pleads for intl help

Detained Nigerien President Mohamed Bazoum asked the international community for help on Thursday, while the country's newly installed junta has refused to hand back power and threatened to meet force with force. In a column in The Washington Post, Bazoum said the coup, launched against his government by a faction in the military on July 26, has no justification, and if it succeeds, "it will have devastating consequences for our country, our region and the entire world". The coup has been condemned by countries and organizations across the world, including the United Nations Security Council, the European Union and the African Union.

SYRIA

IS group announces death of leader

The Islamic State terror group announced on Thursday the death of its leader Abu al-Hussein al-Husseini al-Qurashi, who it said was killed in clashes in northwestern Syria, and named a successor. The leader "was killed after direct clashes" with jihadist group Hayat Tahrir al-Sham in Idlib Province, an IS spokesman said in a recorded message on its Telegram channels, without specifying when he was killed. The spokesman announced the group's new leader — its fifth — as Abu Hafs al-Hashimi al-Qurashi.

ETHIOPIA

'State of emergency' declared over violence

Ethiopia's federal government on Friday declared a "state of emergency" as violent clashes escalate between the national army and local fighters from the northern region of Amhara. Clashes in Amhara between the national army and local fighters have escalated in recent weeks, prompting travel warnings from foreign governments and the cancellation of flights by the national carrier Ethiopian Airlines.

Xinhua - Agencies